Data is revolutionizing the way government, businesses and citizens engage with each other – a powerful tool, which ought to be utilized with care and foresight. To that end, the Administration has gathered a committee of top-level leaders from multiple federal agencies to develop a unified approach to data management, use and sharing.
I am proud to co-lead this committee with my colleague, Karen Dunn Kelley, Acting Deputy Director and Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Department of Commerce; Suzette Kent, Federal CIO; Nancy Potok, Chief Statistician of the U.S.; and Jack Wilmer, Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity and IT Modernization, Office of Science and Technology Policy. Together, we will lead the Administration’s goal of delivering a comprehensive, forward-looking Federal Data Strategy to foster economic growth and innovation, make government more effective, and improve transparency and oversight.
Today, we held our first roundtable discussion on Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset, co-hosted by the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Center for Open Data Enterprise.
Today’s roundtable was one of our initial steps, featuring data thought-leaders discussing successes and common challenges. Participants included executives from industry; officials from federal, state, and local governments; leaders from non-profits; and academic researchers from across the country. The takeaways from today’s roundtable will help us develop specific principles, practices, and actions to take to create a Federal Data Strategy that delivers on its promise to foster economic growth and innovation for small businesses.
Getting the most out of data means making connections across agencies and getting the data into the hands of entrepreneurs who can use the data in new and innovative ways to fuel small business growth. The Federal Data Strategy will provide a framework and guidelines, bringing in best practices from government and the private sector, while also protecting the confidentiality of the data and the privacy of those who provide it. Using data in a new and collaborative manner will drive ideas, spur innovation and solve important problems.